<p>What classes should i take in my fall semester freshman year?</p>
<p>APs taken:
chem-5
lang-4
USH-4
HumanGeograph-4</p>
<p>APs going to take:
Physics C
calc BC</p>
<p>planning on studying and getting at least a 4 for physics and calc</p>
<p>Page 9 of the [College</a> of Engineering Undergraduate Handbook](<a href=“http://coe.berkeley.edu/students/current-undergraduates/advising/Undergraduate%20Handbook%2010-11]College”>http://coe.berkeley.edu/students/current-undergraduates/advising/Undergraduate%20Handbook%2010-11) tells you what to do with AP credit.</p>
<p>5 on Chemistry => fulfills Chemistry 1A (but the Chemistry department recommends taking 1A if your major requires 1B)
4 on English Language => you can skip reading and composition A and take reading and composition B
4 on US History => one lower division humanities / social studies course for breadth requirement
5 on Calculus BC => you can skip Math 1A and 1B and take Math 53 and/or 54 (note: [Math</a> department recommendations](<a href=“http://math.berkeley.edu/courses_AP.html]Math”>http://math.berkeley.edu/courses_AP.html))
5 on Physics C Mechanics => you can skip Physics 7A and take Physics 7B (however, the Physics department recommends not skipping 7A, but considering H7A)</p>
<p>I’d recommend Physics 7A, Math 53 or Math 1B (depending on your calc BC score), Reading and Composition B, and another humanities breadth class for your first semester. If you want to take it easy your first semester (13-14 units instead of 16), then you can replace the second humanities class with seminar(s)/decal(s).</p>
<p>Edit: Oops, I forgot that MechE’s take Engineering 10. You should take that instead of the second humanities class.</p>
<p>As a student who’s actually in MechE, I’d definitely say skip Chem 1A.</p>
<p>Physics 7A is always recommended no matter what score you get in the AP exam since the concept is used again in ME C85 and ME 104 and so on. If you really feel confident about mechanics, going straight into Physics 7B is okay.</p>
<p>You can only take Math 53 only if you get a 5 on your BC exam, so get that 5. Math department is a pain, so skip it as much as possible.</p>
<p>So this could be a viable list of classes
Math 1B/53
Physics 7A/7B
Engineering 7/10 (Engineering 7 is an introduction to matlab program which is useful, but very time consuming while Engineering 10 is simply a survey course with significantly less workload than Engineering 7)
ME 24 (this is one and only chance in Berkeley to take a freshman seminar so do it! It’s a simply 1-unit pass/no pass class)
An <em>optional</em> humanities class or an AC class of your choice</p>
<p>Mind you, none of these math or physics or engineering courses will be easy possibly except Engineering 10. Even at minimum 13 units, you will find yourself spending a lot of time studying and studying and studying if you wanna ace those classes…</p>
<p>so
physics 7a, math1b or 53, eng10, ME24, composition B?
would this be too heavy of a load for my first semester</p>
<p>Yeah, that is more or less standard. Some people take the composition B or just leave it for later depending how they handle the technical courses in their first few weeks. I found other humanities courses a lot more interesting and easier and less time consuming than R&C B requirement. </p>
<p>It still feels like yesterday I had to write that 15-page research paper the night before (and the day of) when it was due for my R&C class while I did almost nothing and somehow got my first A in Berkeley in my AC course.</p>
<p>Note that you do not need a separate AC course – it can be one of courses that otherwise fulfills the [humanities</a> and social studies requirement](<a href=“http://coe.berkeley.edu/students/current-undergraduates/advising/HSS%20MASTER%20List%202011-12%20%203-30-11%20FINAL.pdf]humanities”>http://coe.berkeley.edu/students/current-undergraduates/advising/HSS%20MASTER%20List%202011-12%20%203-30-11%20FINAL.pdf). Most (but not all) AC courses have “AC” as a suffix to the course number. For example, [url=<a href=“http://osoc.berkeley.edu/OSOC/osoc?y=0&p_term=FL&p_deptname=History&p_classif=--+Choose+a+Course+Classification+--&p_info=AMERICAN+CULTURES&p_presuf=--+Choose+a+Course+Prefix%2FSuffix+--&x=0]History”>http://osoc.berkeley.edu/OSOC/osoc?y=0&p_term=FL&p_deptname=History&p_classif=--+Choose+a+Course+Classification+--&p_info=AMERICAN+CULTURES&p_presuf=--+Choose+a+Course+Prefix%2FSuffix+--&x=0]History</a> 120AC<a href=“a”>/url</a> counts as an upper division humanities or social studies course, (b) counts as an AC course, and (c) fulfills the series requirement when combined with AP US history credit.</p>
<p>^ I found the above statement bit deceiving because yes, the course does satisfy 3 different requirements, but that doesn’t mean you can take two fewer courses. You still have to take at least 6 humanities courses as a student in college of engineering.
Well, for some people only 4 courses if they have APUSH and so on</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Probably should be ok. You have two lab courses, which can be more work than the non-lab courses, but you should get used to having lab courses in your engineering studies.</p>
<p>You may want to make lists of alternate courses in case you see your desired courses getting full or close to full (on [Home</a> Page - Online Schedule Of Classes](<a href=“http://schedule.berkeley.edu%5DHome”>http://schedule.berkeley.edu) ) before you can register. For example:</p>
<p>Math: You can take 53 and 54 in either order (but you must have 53 for Physics 7B). Note that there are honors versions of 1B and 54 (and 53 in the spring), though they are best for those who are very confident of their math ability.</p>
<p>Physics 7A: Well, no way around that; the only alternative is the honors version.</p>
<p>E 10, R&C B: if these get full, consider alternates like E 7, E 28, lower division technical electives ([listed</a> here](<a href=“http://www.me.berkeley.edu/StudentAffairs/CurrentStudents/Undergraduate/CurriculumFlowchart.pdf]listed”>http://www.me.berkeley.edu/StudentAffairs/CurrentStudents/Undergraduate/CurriculumFlowchart.pdf)), alternate humanities and social studies courses.</p>
<p>^ I don’t think Physics 7A should count as a lab course, as there is only a lab every two weeks or so and it is completed in class before you leave. Plus, discussions are optional (read: unnecessary), so I’d say 7A is virtually the same amount of work as a math course. </p>
<p>Anyways, your schedule looks good.</p>